And It Was All Just A Moment
by My-name-is-foxglove
Summary: Peace is deserved after all the reminders. Fifty sentences for the future, the past- and everything but the present. Mainly YoshimorixTokine with hints at ShujixSumiko, TokioxShizue, HatorixMasamori and TokikoxShigemori. Concentrated on the two families.


**And It Was All Just A Moment**

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Author's Note: **Heya ^_^ Hope everyone likes this.

**Fandom:** Kekkaishi

**Pairing: **YoshimorixTokine (also hints for ShujixSumiko, ShizuexTokio, HatorixMasamori, TokikoxShigemori)**  
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**Characters: **Mainly Yoshimori & Tokine, though other characters appear now and again too.**  
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**Warnings:** A sprinkling of Japanese words throughout, future fic, some mild spoilers.

**Rating:** T for suggestions about the birds and the bees.

**Theme set: **Delta

**Summary:** Peace is deserved after all the reminders. Fifty sentences for the future, the past- and everything but the present.

**P.S: **For those who don't know: Touchan=Daddy, Kaasan=Mommy, Masaji= Uncle Masa(mori), Maa maa= There, there, Nii=Big brother, Nee-san: Big sister (formal).

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**Air**

For a moment, she stared, not breathing, her brain not understanding, _because he was on the ground, he was supposed to be on his feet, standing beside her, and that thing coming out of him, not stopping, hideously red,_ _couldn't be blood, no, not blood, not blood, because this was Yoshimori, Yoshimori wouldn't get hurt, no, he wouldn't, because she told him, she wouldn't forgive him if he disappeared, she wouldn't, not him, not him too_- and then the moment shattered, and she understood far too well as knives entered her lungs in the form of ice cold air and she screamed to the heavens and the lords and the urakai and their families and herself and...then the dream ended and Tokine woke up gasping, crying, Yoshimori holding her, telling her it was okay, he was here, he wasn't going away ever again.

**Apples**

After the greatest battle, when Shigemori ended up in the hospital with his broken leg, Tokiko had stormed past flustered nurses and doctors and their families, harshly slammed a bag of apples on the desk next to his bed, and threatened if they weren't finished by the time she visited again he would _wish_ he had been smart and not tried to be a stupid, old, idiotic hero by catching an old woman when she was falling, and was already getting a kekkai ready, and why didn't he get a kekkai out either, he was so stupid and--- as the old woman ranted on and the old man looked petrified, amused expressions slipped onto the audiences faces, reminded of the 22nd generation of Sumimura and Yukimura.

**Beginning**

Most thought the beginning of it all was that life-changing night when they were young and she protected him, her right arm forever scarred; the real beginning was when one baby's curious pair of dark brown eyes ("Yoshimori this-) met another baby's already haughty light brown orbs (- is Tokine.") and Fate smiled when she joined together two red strings.

**Bugs**

When she came back from a month long training trip with her grandmother Tokine had looked forward to seeing Yoshimori again- only to be faced with the image of the flustered kekkaishi trying to fend off a horde of twittering, squealing, make-up wielding creatures she could only describe, twitching with irritation, as _bugs_.

**Coffee**

When she noticed he had stopped drinking coffee milk and switched to plain coffee, Tokine turned to ask Yoshimori why, and ended up staring when she belated realised he was now taller than her.

**Dark**

Sometimes, he had dreams about that place (_it was dark and the words on his arm gave no comfort because he didn't know what they were, didn't know what they meant and he was truly terrified for the first time in his life since her blood spilled on that place- but who was she and what was that place and who was he and if he knew her then, **why was he alone?** _) and he would jump awake, eyes wide, breathing heavy, his hand reaching for hers.

**Despair**

Though Tokine didn't show it, every time he disappeared to do something dangerous it was only the presence of other people and her pride that stopped her from screaming, wailing in despair that he'd left her alone again.

**Doors**

If he wasn't there to open the door for her, she would have died a long time ago in that room of solitude.

**Drink**

When listening to Tokine rant about Yoshimori's 'precious coffee milk' Tokiko would smile to herself, remembering a certain man who would annoy her in younger days, constantly drinking green tea on the way to work.

**Duty**

Yoshimori had a duty to protect Karasumori, true, but she came before duty; before duty, before honesty, before kindness, before responsibility, before his morals, before his life- Tokine always came before everything.

**Earth**

Even if they searched all over the Earth and found the perfect man and woman many others dreamed about, they were happy with just each other.

**End**

"When will all of this end?" she asked him; "When will everyone around us stop dying?" she asked him; "You won't leave me too, will you?" she asked him- every time, he had no answer, because as much as he wanted to, he didn't know.

**Fall**

Tokiko had been so mad at Shigemori following his departure from the hospital, so angry he was almost afraid to talk to her in case he set her off on another rant- but then the panicked look on her face when he struggled with the cast on his leg and tilted forwards reassured him this was simply her way of caring; meanwhile, Yoshimori who tried to grab onto his grandfather ended up falling as well, resulting in both Tokiko and Tokine yelling at the duo for being so clumsy.

**Fire**

Having a fever was so strange, Tokine thought dazedly, like fire was gently rushing through her body, in her veins, cocooning her in dizzying warmth- but she wasn't complaining; because being able to kiss Yoshimori whenever he knelt down to check her temperature and see him look so cute and flustered was definitely a good thing.

**Flexible**

Heart thumping wildly Tokine violently shut the door behind her- the image of the way Yoshimori twisted due to his awkward landing ruthlessly taunting her hormone plagued brain.

**Flying**

The complete happiness of two people could only be described with the indescribable; flying around the world with wind as your wings and sunlight warming your face and hands comfortably linked together in simple perfection.

**Food**

She had only reached out to take a grain of rice off his cheek and then...

**Foot**

He examined her from head to toe, eyes overwhelmingly worried, making her freeze as they always did "...you're not hurt are you?"

**Grave**

After she visited her father's grave, Yoshimori noticed Tokine kept looking over her shoulder and glancing at him; when he understood she was making sure he was still there, he half smiled at her, and gently grabbed her hand, making sure to mumble about ghosts so he wouldn't wound her pride.

**Green**

As he grew older, Yoshimori desperately tried to hold onto those old, innocent childish days, free of death and pain and the heavy responsibility of being Karasumori's favourite- yet the only memory he had left was the vibrant colours of fireworks against dark green grass as two children laughed.

**Head**

Toshimori sighed, holding his aching head in his hands as his grandfather and Tokiko-san bickered for the twenty sixth time that morning- why oh why had he _ever _agreed to let them stay in his house while Yoshi-nii and Tokine-neesan visited another lord?!?

**Hollow**

Though she wouldn't admit it, she didn't like him going into that blank state; she didn't like seeing his cheerful, bright eyes suddenly look so hollow.

**Honour**

Honour seemed such an insignificant reason not be friends, that's what they thought when they were kids; but later, it wasn't being friends they were worried about.

**Hope**

She was never the type to hope he'd stop putting himself in danger; but as long as she made sure to dive in with him, she could put up with it.

**Light**

Everything had seemed so dark when he went to the Kokuburou; her vision blurred and the air was so dull and heavy; but when he came back, she could suddenly see the world in perfect detail and feel brilliant flares of relief and anger flow through her veins.

**Lost**

Most people thought she had probably gotten confused in what to do back then: with Karasumori acting up, Yoshimori wanting to seal it, people wanting to hunt it, _it _wanting Yoshimori- but what they didn't know, was that as long as he was there, she knew she could easily walk beside him and never get lost in the labyrinth of intentions.

**Metal**

She silently fingered the cool, beautifully shaped metal bracelet that came along with his note for the thousandth time that week, wondering if he'd touched it as well (there had better not be any new scars on those hands she loved), wondering why his note was so short ('_Dear Tokine, I hope you like this- I'll try and be back soon- Love, Yoshimori_'- she kept re-reading it over and over yet it never got longer)_,_ wondering if he was okay (he should have told her he was, reassured her), wondering why he was taking so long (his side of the bed had almost lost his comforting scent, she couldn't sleep at night), wondering and wondering– then a sound graced her hearing "Tokine~! I'm home!" and her face took on the happiest expression.

**New**

Yoshimori's eyes were adorably wide with awe as he stared, enraptured, at the tiny newborn held in Tokine's arms: at her small mewls and little tosses in her pink blanket, at his nose and Tokine's eyes and a mouth completely his daughter's, at her little tuft of dark brown hair, at her, simply her; (because after all he and her mother had gone through, all they had suffered and lost and gained they were able to find something this precious, this beautiful-) Tokine smiled at him and he leaned down to gently embrace them both, so, so happy (because this made everything worth it).

**Old**

"Hey Tokine...can we grow old together?"

**Peace**

Needless to say, the newfound peace between the Sumimura and Yukimura households was broken every now and then by simply one thing- or rather, two people- "TOKIKO!!!!!!!!!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY ROOM?!!?" "I CLEANED IT YOU OLD GEEZER- BE THANKFUL!!!!!!!" "WHAT!?!? WHY SHOULD I BE THANKFUL ABOUT THIS YOU--!!!!" "WAAAAAAAAAAAH!" "A-a-a-ah, there, there, aka-chan, great grandfather's here!" "Hold her for a moment, I'll call Tokine…"

**Poison**

With bags under her eyes, Tokine gently rocked her sleepless child, making feeble attempts to coo as her eyes felt heavier and heavier -she would've sworn she'd been drugged with a slow, ruthless poison if she wasn't already familiar with sleep withdrawal-; a board creaked and she sleepily glanced up to see an equally tired Yoshimori come back from the kitchen, carrying their daughter's favourite bottle filled with warm milk.

**Pretty**

She remembered when they were teens and the first time he, stuttering and red faced, said she was pretty; there wasn't much a difference now, Tokine mused, except Yoshimori used 'beautiful' instead of pretty whenever she dressed up.

**Rain**

On nights when it rained they both silently meet up at Karasumori, remembering, and sometimes, just sometimes, she holds his hand.

**Regret**

Staring as Hatori fussed over his niece, Masamori was surprised to feel something like longing sprout in his heart; he blinked, then smoothly took his place next to her, commenting on how the babe had taken to her- after all, Sumimura Masamori was not one to regret- and he certainly wasn't going to be beaten by his little brother and his wife, no way, he'd never live it down.

**Roses**

Tokio would bring her roses on their anniversary, Shizue remembered fondly as she watched Tokine reprimand Yoshimori for running off and doing something dangerous again; he'd get her red ones, their petals soft as silk and colour so vibrant she was almost afraid to touch them lest she ruined them; he'd always smile brightly and comment how they were nothing compared to her beauty, silly flatterer that he was- and though she pestered him and pestered him he'd never tell her where he'd got them from ("Because only I can get them for you Shizue, no one else,"), of course she didn't get any roses now because Tokio wasn't--- Shizue suddenly moved to wash the dishes, and anything resembling tears on her face was simply spray from water, because Karasumori was acting up and Tokine was training and the children were fighting a battle day after day after day and this time was simply not suitable for anyone's tears, let alone hers.

**Secret**

Though they knew they would get scolded by their grandparents if found, though they knew their houses were rivals, though they knew- the two children were so bored, they couldn't help but want to play with each other from time to time- and it really wasn't fair not to expect them to start keeping secrets at such a mischievous age.

**Snakes**

Sumimura Yukiko sobbed in her grandmother's arms as her mother cleaned her father's ankle (because it was red and swollen and Touchan must be hurting because of her because he'd _told her _not to play near the long grass but she did and he picked her up and got bitten by a monster and it was all her fault) realising the source of Yukiko's tears Yoshimori smiled at his daughter "Maa maa, Yuki-chan," he said, gently taking his daughter from Shizue and bringing her into his lap, cooing "I'm fine. Your Touchan is strong you know! This doesn't even hurt," As their daughter stared up at Yoshimori with wide, awed eyes, Tokine decided not to tell the six year old that her father's 'horrible wound' had been from a tiny, annoyed grass snake.

**Snow**

After learning the meaning of her name from her Masa-ji little Sumimura Yukiko innocently asked at the dinner table "Did Touchan and Kaasan make me in the snow?" unintentionally causing several coughing fits, the dropping of two plates and Shigemori and Tokiko's simultaneous spitting out of their tea.

**Solid**

Tokine liked it when she and Yoshimori came back to back in the middle of a fight; because amidst the ever changing state of Karasumori and the ethereal feeling of kekkai's and being a kekkaishi in general, Yoshimori was something solid she could rely on to bring her back to Earth every time.

**Spring**

Shuji liked springtime; it meant to matter what was happening or who it was happening to, every year he would always see a child playing in the garden- be it the long-gone childish Masamori or ever-training Yoshimori or book-smart Toshimori or little Yukiko who was just learning to walk; the sight brought back memories of times where he was just a boy and she was just a girl and there was no doubt or long periods of separation between them.

**Stable**

Though Yoshimori loved Tokine dearly, he much preferred it when her hormone levels were stable and she didn't cry when he tried to go to work, because he really had no defence against his wife's tears and even his ever-patient boss would get annoyed when at a certain time of month his top pastier would either not show up, or his wife (who wailed if he was out of her sight for a second and disturbed delicate decoration processes) would tag along.

**Strange**

Two beings in the forms of young adults glanced at each other above the clouds, silently communicating in a way only they could- the man gestured a marked hand at the city below and the large, cold metal buildings getting closer and closer to their land (_That guy's getting out of control,_), his female partner nodded, her long brown hair swaying in the wind as she took on a brooding expression (_Yukiko and the rest might not be able to handle it on their own...)_ he grinned at her, raising an eyebrow (_Wanna just kick his ass and head back home?_), she reprimanded him (_Yoshimori!)_ and swatted his arm when he laughed- there was no kekkai beneath their feet as they watched from the sky, no signs of sleepiness or hunger or stress marked their almost perfect faces, their skins glowed with an almost heavenly light...and even if Toshimori himself, skilled old man that he was, stood right beside them, he would not be able to see, or hear them.

**Summer**

Sumiko really was a wonder, Shuji couldn't help but think, she'd only come home (_permanently_, an elated part of his mind whispered) a few minutes ago, yet here she was, easily having a water fight with their children (though at least two of them were full grown adults and one was married, the three brothers were always children in Shuji's eyes)- the summer sun seemed to be shining down in blessing- yet when Tokine came out carrying a giggling baby Yukiko and he saw Sumiko look dumbfounded, Shuji belatedly realised his wife hadn't yet met her granddaughter.

**Taboo**

She shouldn't be doing this, a part of her whispered, (_his lips ever so slowly brush over her own_) she shouldn't, they were rivals, (_she feels so warm, hot, melting_) feuding, it wasn't allowed, (_electricity runs through her veins where their skin hesitantly meet_) how many times had she been told- (_he whispers those three precious, precious words_) then that part of her disappears, and she forgets it was ever there (_and lets herself go_).

**Ugly**

Hatori had never before cared about her looks, but the sight of her Chief meeting up with Yomi-san (she knew it was just for information, she _knew_, but it-) sparked something inside her, and she suddenly found herself standing in front of him, angrily demanding "Chief, am I ugly?" - and Masamori was suddenly so very thankful he had seen Tokine do the same to his brother and wasn't stuttering with surprise like he had.

**War**

"This will end," Yoshimori told her, eyes glowing with determination as they went out for another night, another battle, another part of this long, long war "This will end Tokine, and I swear: it will end _happily_."

**Water**

As they recuperate from the latest attack on Karasumori, he silently hands her a glass of water with his good, non-bloodied hand; she gulps half of it down before handing it back, not letting too many cuts show; he slowly drinks the remaining liquid- and a thousand unspoken words are exchanged.

**Welcome**

Yoshimori would always tell her how he loved coming home, yet it wasn't until she came back from a particularly long high school reunion to be greeted by his warm smile and embrace and her excited squeal of "Kaa~chan!" and tugging at her dress that Tokine understood just how wonderful it was.

**Winter**

"It's cold," she mumbled, tone hushed, moving closer to him; "It's cold," he whispered, agreed, placing his arm around her waist; though in reality they needed each other more than the warmth.

**Wood**

It will happen, their happiness, and it will outlast everything- the ancient earth, the old wood, the vast sea, the endless sky- everything after and before and in between- for who says the epilogue can't come before the end?


End file.
